Anything For a Friend
by Zutara90
Summary: Having just escaped from Lazarevic's clutches, things go from bad to worse very quickly for Nate and Elena. Both have to face tough decisions about how far they are willing to go to stop Lazarevic. And to save each other. Rated T for violence and some language.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I just recently bought a PS4 (and it's the first PlayStation I've ever owned) and The Uncharted Collection was the first game I played on it and I've been obsessed ever since. So, naturally, I had to write an Uncharted fanfic. This one takes place in the second game with sort of an alternate timeline. It starts just after (SPOILERS!) Jeff is killed, Chloe is taken, and Nate and Elena escape in Nepal. But I threw Sully in A.) because I love Sully and B.) because I needed another person in there. Everything else should be pretty self-explanatory once you get going. I hope you enjoy it! :)

* * *

 **Chapter One**

"Come on, this way." Nate motioned to an alleyway, letting Elena take the lead and following closely behind her, Sully bringing up the rear. They had narrowly escaped Lazarevic's clutches moments before and had been fleeing through the narrow streets of Nepal. Lazarevic had nearly gotten the location of Shambhala from them too. Luckily, they had managed to break free before he could do so. But they weren't in the clear yet.

Elena quickly made her way to the other side of the alley. It was narrow, barely wide enough across to permit Elena's small frame. Nate and Sully had to sidle through, slowing them considerably.

"They're over here!"

The cry came from the far side of the street they had previously occupied, up on one of the crumbling balconies that dotted the faces of the buildings. Nate's head snapped around to locate the man. It didn't take him long as the man was carrying an RPG, sighting them down in the alley.

"Oh, shit! Sully, look out!"

Nate leaned as far back as he could, shoving Sully backwards and simultaneously throwing himself the last few feet into open air. A trail of smoke marked the RPG's path as it flew into the side of the building above them. The explosion rained massive chunks of brick and mortar, wood and plaster down on the spot Nate had been occupying not two seconds before. He heard two gunshots, then, as the dust settled, everything went quiet.

Elena helped Nate to his feet and he ran, coughing, up to the pile of rubble now blocking the passage.

"Sully!" When Sully didn't answer, Nate called again, his voice cracking with panic. "Sully! Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. Took care of rocketman too."

Nate breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"I don't think there's any way over this mess. I'm going to have to find another way around."

"Alright, we'll meet you on the other side. Just be careful."

"I'm not the one always getting into trouble, am I?"

Nate turned to leave, rolling his eyes.

"He does have a point, you know," Elena added, looking pointedly at Nate.

He glared back, motioning forward with his assault rifle. "Let's just keep moving, shall we?"

Unfortunately for them, the explosion must have drawn more of Lazarevic's men to their location because, as they rounded the next corner, they were forced to duck down behind concrete blocks and abandoned furniture to avoid the bullets flying over their heads.

"Don't you dare say anything," Nate shouted to Elena over the din of gunfire before popping out of cover to take out two men. They were at a major disadvantage. Aside from being clearly out-manned and out-gunned, they were at the bottom of a hill, with Lazarevic's men sitting comfortably at the top. Nate was good with a gun. He certainly wouldn't have made it as far as he had if he hadn't developed a certain skill at gunplay. But there was only so much he could do. He was fresh out of grenades and what ammo they had between the two of them wouldn't last long. Looking for an option alternative to shooting their way out, Nate spotted another alley on the far side of the street. There were some pieces of cover littering the intervening space. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

"We need to get to the other side of the street. I'll cover you. On three, you run for that cover." Nate pointed to a toppled desk a little over half way across the street. "Are you ready?"

Elena nodded her head.

"One…two…three!"

As Nate stood to lay down a volley of bullets, Elena ran, keeping as low as possible. Mercifully, she made it just as it was becoming unwise for Nate to stay standing out of cover for any longer. Ducking down, he changed his clip and peeked back over the top of the concrete block to make sure Lazarevic's men hadn't advanced. They hadn't, but his heart still leapt into his throat.

One of the men had a grenade in his hand and he was pulling the pin. But he wasn't looking at Nate. He was looking at Elena. And she was oblivious to the danger. She was readying her gun to cover Nate as he took his turn to make a run for it. She didn't stand a chance.

Already moving, Nate shouted, "Elena!" as he sprinted towards her. She barely registered him coming at her before he was there, propelling her out of the way just as the grenade landed.

* * *

Elena looked up to see Nate flying at her, shouting frantically and waving his arms. Puzzled, she didn't have any time to react before he rammed into her and she half flew, half stumbled several yards to the other side of the street. Then she watched in horror as Nate was thrown backward several feet by an unseen force. A fraction of a second later, she was hit by it as well. She fell and hit her head hard enough for her to see stars. It took a second for her senses to return. Her ears were ringing as she stumbled to her feet. There were men shouting, but their voices were muffled, distant. As though she had cotton stuffed in her ears. Near where she had been crouched moments before lay Nate, face-down and unconscious, a trail of blood dribbling from his left ear. But he seemed largely unharmed otherwise. The desk too hadn't taken any major damage, which didn't make any sense. Then it hit her. A concussion grenade.

 _They want us alive._

Somehow that thought was far more frightening than the gunfire they had been facing. But now that she looked back on it, she had felt like they were getting through that fight a little too unscathed. It all made sense now. They hadn't been shooting to kill, but to wound, incapacitate. She had to get to Nate, get them out of there. But her concussion-addled mind had taken too long to come to such an epiphany.

Lazarevic's men had already closed the gap between them and they were coming at her first. Nate was somewhat hidden by the desk and in the cloud of dust kicked up by the grenade, they must have lost sight of him. She shot one man in the chest and managed to shoot another in the arm before they were on her, two of them grabbing her arms and dragging her backwards while she struggled and kicked in an attempt to break free. Meanwhile, more men were heading towards Nate, who still hadn't moved since the grenade went off.

"Nate! Get out of there!" The words still sounded far away and it was hard to tell if she had shouted or merely whispered them. They must have reached Nate because she saw him shift slightly just as the first of the men reached him.

The man went to flip Nate onto his back, but Nate threw a wild punch as he did so. The man must have been so surprised at Nate's consciousness that the punch actually landed. Nate used to the momentum to roll again and land, once more, face-down. He pushed himself slowly onto his elbows, but he was still too out of it to really put up much of a fight. When two more men grabbed him by the arms, he struggled weakly. Even that didn't last long as the man who had taken the punch came up next to Nate and bashed him over the head with the butt of his rifle. Nate went limp and they started dragging him up the street.

"Nate!"

Elena redoubled her efforts to break free. Her captors had a hard time keeping hold of her as she kicked and thrashed wildly. Then she felt a blinding pain on the back of her head and everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Groggily, Elena awoke to find herself tied to a chair in the middle of a small room. When she could lift her head without the world spinning, she examined her surroundings. The room was run-down, dingy, dark, with the only source of light coming through a generous hole in the back wall. Sunlight poured in through it, creating a beam of dust that dead ended at the door on the opposite wall. Past the beam, was Nate. He was strung up to the ceiling by the handcuffs shackled around his wrists. He was breathing, but still unconscious.

"Nate? Nate! Come on, wake up," she pleaded.

Once again, he answered her words, groaning as he lifted his head. His eyes wandered aimlessly for a moment before he seemed to regain his focus and squinted at her.

"Elena." He groaned again as he set his feet underneath himself. "Where are we?"

"I don't know. Judging by the looks of this building, I'd say we are still in the city though. Lazarevic probably commandeered it as his base of operations. Look, Nate, we need to get out of here."

"Yeah, that's the understatement of the century." Nate pulled at his bonds, but nothing came of it. They were secure. He started scanning the floor. "Do you see anything sharp? Anything at all?"

Elena followed his lead, but there was nothing they could use to cut a rope. No small pieces of broken glass, not even a rough edge of broken concrete. Elena tugged against her bindings in frustration.

"Well, now what?"

Before Nate could offer a response, the door swung open, banging against the plastered wall. Draza, Lazarevic's lieutenant, stepped through it, flanked by three men. Two of the men stationed themselves by the door while the third stood next to Nate. Draza strode between Elena and Nate, a glow outlining his figure when he stepped into the beam of sunlight. He turned to face Nate, a pleased smile covering his face.

"Nathan Drake."

"Congratulations, asshole, you know my name," Nate retorted, glaring at Draza.

The smile instantly disappeared from Draza's face and he rounded on Nate, delivering a punch to his stomach that left Nate coughing and gasping. Nate instinctively doubled over, but couldn't move very much on account of his hands being tied over his head. The most he could achieve was putting his head down as he tried to catch his breath.

Draza leaned in close to Nate. "You are well known for your wit, Mr. Drake. I doubt it will survive long here." With that, he stepped back to address them both. "I will make this simple. Tell me where the entrance to Shambhala is and you will not be harmed."

Elena knew that was a flat out lie. If they gave him the location, Lazarevic would have no reason to keep them alive. And he wasn't exactly the merciful type. Nate clearly had the same idea.

At the same time, Elena said, "Go to hell," while Nate answered, "Not a chance."

The disturbing smile crept back onto Draza's face. "I had rather hoped you would say that. It will make this so much more satisfying for me." He turned to Nate. "I'm going to enjoy this. You've been a thorn in my side for far too long." Nate held Draza's gaze as he nodded his head at the man next to him. The man wore brass knuckles on both hands and clearly intended to use them. In a flurry, he started pummeling Nate, leaving him bruised and bloodied.

"No!" Elena couldn't stand seeing Nate beaten before her. The man paused his assault at her cry, looking to Draza for further instructions. Draza advanced toward Elena.

"The only way this ends is if you tell me the location of Shambhala."

Nate called weakly from his side of the room. "Don't tell him anything, Elena."

His words earned him a swift blow to the face. One that left him with a split lip and cheek. His head hung limply at his chest as he grunted in pain.

Draza rounded on him once more. "You don't get to speak anymore." He slithered back to Elena, gesturing toward Nate. "You are the only one who can save him now. Tell me where it is."

She wanted to. She wanted nothing more than to end Nate's suffering. But she knew, deep down, that he was right. If Lazarevic got his hands on the Cintamani Stone, he would be unstoppable. The world would be in danger. As much as she hated to admit it, her life, Nate's life was worth sacrificing to keep Lazarevic from Shambhala.

She hated herself for it, but still responded, "I can't."

At Draza's signal, the man continued beating Nate until his face was a bloody mess and his shirt was torn in several places. At one point he hammered Nate's side in the same place until there was an audible _crack_ and Nate cried out in pain, his breath hitching.

It was too much for Elena to bear silently and she cried out, "Stop! Please!"

Draza turned to her. "You know what you must do for this to stop and yet you refuse to do it. Very well. Perhaps you require more incentive." He slid the large knife at his belt free and brandished it meaningfully in front of him. Then made his way toward Nate. Nate was too out of it to see the threat coming his way.

"No." The word was barely more than a whisper on Elena's lips as she watched, torn.

Without hesitation, Draza drove his knife to the hilt into Nate's abdomen, forcing the breath from Nate's lungs. Nate's teeth gritted against the pain.

"Tell me where the entrance is!"

"You bastard! I'm going to kill you!" Elena violently threw herself against her bonds, so much so that her chair almost toppled.

But Draza wasn't done. Looking Elena straight in the eye, he twisted the knife still in Nate's side, eliciting a genuine scream of surprise and agony from Nate.

At Nate's cry, Elena was shaken into action. No matter what she had told herself before, she couldn't sit there and watch Nate die. They would have to find another way. They always had. "Wait, please! I'll tell you!" she screamed in between sobs. "I'll tell you where it is. Just, leave him alone."

A triumphant grin on his face, Draza slid the knife from Nate's side and Nate's breath caught once again at the sensation. Nate slumped forward, struggling to stay conscious.

The knife still coated with Nate's blood, Draza now pointed it menacingly at Elena. His voice was low and threatening, losing the fervor it had gained in the heat of the moment. "Where is it?"

Elena answered deflatedly, resigned to telling the truth. "It's in Tibet. In the mountains. I can show you on a map."

Draza turned to one of the men by the door, motioning for a map, but before he could, there was a commotion outside. Suddenly there was chaos. Shouting and gunfire followed closely by the sound of an explosion. Lip curling in obvious annoyance at the untimely distraction, Draza snarled and led his men out to deal with the issue. But not before he issued one last threat.

"You will tell me exactly where the entrance is the moment I return or your friend will die a slow and agonizing death. And there will be nothing you can do to stop it."

Then Draza and his men were gone, leaving them alone with the sounds of fighting outside the door.

Elena glanced worriedly at Nate. "Nate, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

It was clear that Nate was in a lot of pain, try as he did to hide it. His words came between panted breaths. "No. You made the right choice. We can't let Lazarevic get the Stone. No matter what." Nate grimaced as another wave of pain hit him.

"I'm going to get you out of here. You're going to be alright, I promise. Just stay with me."

Nate didn't answer which, to Elena, didn't bode well.

The sounds of fighting grew nearer and Elena finally had to bear them some thought. Who could have gotten in the building? Was it the resistance? If so, she wasn't sure that was going to be any better than Lazarevic's men. They may not be overt enemies, but they weren't necessarily allies either. Even if they weren't hostile, they didn't really have any reason to help them.

When the noise seemed to reach the hallway outside their room, it suddenly died. The next sound was of the bolt being pulled back from the door. Fearing it was Draza returning, Elena steeled herself, unconsciously grinding her teeth in anticipation. But she almost cried with relief when she saw who entered the room.

Sully walked through the door.

"I can't leave you two alone for two minutes."

"Sully!"

"Come on, we don't have much time." He cut Elena free, then turned to Nate. His step faltered. "My God. What happened?" He fiddled with the lock on the handcuffs, eventually clicking them open. Nate collapsed to the floor, but Sully slung one of Nate's arms around his shoulders to get him standing.

"Later. We need to get Nate out of here."

"Agreed. Come on, Nate."

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Nate was managing well considering his injuries, but he was breathing hard and his movements were sluggish and uncoordinated.

"The hell you are, kid." Sully threw a gun to Elena. "You're going to have to cover us. I think I got most of them, but there's no telling how many men Lazarevic has and I admit to not exactly being covert on my way in here."

"Right. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

They made their way as quickly as they could through the building. It was large, probably the largest in the city. But, without too much trouble, they eventually made it outside. From the looks of it, they were somewhere near the center of the city. The problem was, they had nowhere to go. And they all knew it. Nate was only semi-conscious by this point; aware enough to keep his feet moving, but not much else.

"Sully, where are we going to take him?"

"As far away from here as possible for now. After that, I'm open to ideas."

Elena took a moment to consider their options, which were really nonexistent. There weren't exactly any hospitals nearby. There wasn't even somewhere safe where they could hole up and somehow tend to Nate. Not to mention the medical supplies they would need. It all seemed so hopeless.

Sully broke into her thoughts. "Come on. We need to keep moving."

Elena nodded in agreement and led the way down one of the streets.

They had only gone a couple of miles before Sully called to Elena. "We need to stop. Nate's fading fast."

Elena looked back to see Sully basically carrying Nate. Nate was pale, breathing in shallow breaths. He didn't look good.

"In here." Elena motioned to a building on their right. It must have been a store at one point. The shelves stood empty, looted. The fading paint on the walls matched the bullet-ridden counter toward the back of the room.

Sully eased Nate down behind the counter. Nate's eyes were rolling and he fought to keep his head upright. Elena knelt down next to them, glancing occasionally over the top of the counter to see if anyone was coming.

"Come up with any ideas?" Sully asked quietly.

Elena offered a sad look at Nate in response. She felt like she was letting him down.

"Me neither."

Elena heard the faintest of scuffles coming from outside. It could have been a bird, as small as the sound was, but she was jumpy and unwilling to take any chances.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered.

Sully turned his head in an effort to listen for the slightest sound, eyes wide and searching. Elena was listening intently as well and heard something again. It couldn't have been coincidence. Someone was outside.

They soon found out it was a number of people as they came in shooting. Sully and Elena returned fire, but didn't manage to hit anyone. They didn't really have much of a chance to. There were at least ten men lining the storefront. One thing they had both noticed in their brief time out of cover, however, is that the men weren't Lazarevic's. They were part of the resistance. Elena and Sully hunched down behind the counter as the bullets sent dust and pieces of the back wall flying.

Then someone called something out in a different language and the gunfire ceased. Not sure what was going on, Elena glanced at Sully who seemed just as confused. He shrugged.

"You are the foreigners?" someone called from the front of the room.

"Yes," Elena answered. She slowly stood, hands held over her head, ignoring Sully's instruction to wait.

"You are the ones opposing Lazarevic and his men."

"Yes." At Elena's words, Sully rose as well, holding his hands over his head in imitation of Elena.

"Where is the third? The one they call Drake?"

Elena indicated Nate next to her on the floor. "He's here too." Emboldened, she added, "He's hurt. Please, he needs help."

The man's face was inscrutable. Elena couldn't tell if he was about to hug them or shoot them. But by his words, he seemed not to consider them enemies. That gut feeling was what had given her the courage to ask for their help.

"We have been watching you since you arrived here. We know what you have done against Lazarevic." His face softened. "Any enemy of his is a friend of ours. I am Rabten, leader of the resistance. Come. We will tend to your friend." Rabten came to them and peered around the counter at Nate. He looked astonished at Nate's condition. "You did not say your friend was in such dire need. He is nearly dead!"

He urgently waved two of his men over to carry Nate, telling them something in Nepali. One lifted Nate under the arms. The other carried him by the legs. Together, they jogged out of the store and turned the corner out of sight. Rabten motioned for Elena and Sully to follow.

"Quickly, this way."

It turned out it was only a few blocks to their compound. The resistance had cordoned off a group of buildings they were using as a base. Rudimentary barriers lined the complex. Some were wrecked cars piled in streets, the tops of which were lined with razor wire. Others were collapsed alleyways or simply piles of furniture and debris, anything the rebels could use to block the streets. Rabten, Elena, and Sully followed Nate and his bearers to what served as the medical building while the rest of Rabten's men peeled off to go about their various duties once they entered the complex.

The makeshift hospital was already full of patients with various wounds, some serious, some minor. The two men laid Nate out on a table and a doctor came over to assess his wounds. He stitched the slice in Nate's side and seemed satisfied that Nate was not otherwise seriously injured. After a few unintelligible words with Rabten, he left to check his other patients. He was, after all, very busy thanks to Lazarevic's presence. Rabten turned back to Elena and Sully who were waiting anxiously for the news. Elena was the first to speak.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"I'm afraid I cannot answer that question so simply. His injuries are cared for. But I am afraid I may have given the wrong impression when I said we could tend to his wounds. He is very weak. And we have nothing more than basic medical supplies. What little medicine we had has been used up. There is nothing more we can do for him. What happens now is up to him." He gave them both an empathetic look. A man came to the doorway of the hospital and called to Rabten, then left at a few words from his leader. "I must go. There are other duties that require my attention, but you are welcome to stay here as long as you need to."

He strode past them and out the door.

Elena addressed Sully, though she was still staring at Nate. "What are we going to do?"

"There's nothing we can do but wait. It's all up to Nate now." Sully placed a hand on her shoulder, meeting her gaze. "He's going to pull through, you'll see."

Elena couldn't tell if he was trying to convince her or himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

After a few days, Nate wasn't doing much better. The bleeding had ceased, but the wound had become infected and Nate had sunk into a delirious state of unconsciousness. He shivered constantly even though he was covered with as many blankets as the rebels could spare. A glistening coat of sweat covered his face and slicked his hair and he muttered incoherently, occasionally spouting a few recognizable words.

"Don't…don't tell them…can't…he can't…get the Stone."

Elena knelt next to Nate's bedside and stroked his hair gently, squeezing his hand under the blankets. She spoke softly in response, worry apparent on her face.

"It's alright, Nate. We're safe."

He mumbled something back, but seemed to settle at her words, though his eyes still moved incessantly behind his lids.

"We're going to figure something out. I made you a promise and I intend to keep it. You just have to hold on. Just hold on, Nate."

Sully appeared at the door to the room.

"Rabten says he needs to speak to us." Sully pointed out the door with his thumb. "Says it's urgent."

Elena nodded and rose, following Sully to Rabten's quarters. Rabten stood behind a large desk. On it was displayed a map of the city with various markings that no doubt had some significance to him and his men. When Sully rapped his knuckles on the door frame, Rabten beckoned them in.

"Come in, come in. My doctors have kept me informed of your friend's condition. I am sorry that there is nothing more we can do for him. But I think there is a way we can help each other."

Elena edged closer. "What do you mean?"

"Lazarevic has a convoy heading into the city tomorrow. My men have been tracking it. It is heavily armored and will likely be heavily guarded as well. The first two trucks are full of day to day items; food, clothing. The next two are weapons and ammo. But the last…contains medical supplies. Enough that, if captured, would last us several months. And would give your friend the medicine he needs."

Sully stepped forward. "Well, I'm in."

Elena nodded her head. "Me too."

"I thought you would agree, but I must warn you that taking the convoy will not be easy."

"It doesn't matter. This is our best chance to help Nate," Elena answered.

"Then let me fill you in on the plan."

* * *

The plan, it turned out, was less of a plan and more of a location. A location along the convoy's route that would give the resistance the best chance at success. They had limited ordnance so they had to use it strategically. When the convoy came into position, the resistance would trap the trucks by collapsing the buildings in front of them and closing off their retreat with the few mounted machine guns they had in their arsenal. Then all they would have to do is kill the remaining men and take the trucks back to the compound. Taking the convoy would serve a double purpose. It would both bolster the resistance and cripple Lazarevic. Not to mention save Nate.

Elena held her rifle at the ready and glanced over at Sully on the opposite side of the street. They were hiding in the alleys, waiting for the convoy to appear. The plan was simple on paper, but Elena knew it was going to be a lot harder in practice.

When the convoy arrived, Elena pressed herself into the wall, willing herself to blend in with the bricks. The last truck passed by and Elena heard the explosion from ahead. Gunfire erupted and she hurried to the edge of the alleyway, leaning out to deliver a few shots before taking cover once more. Sully mirrored her actions on the other side of the street. The trucks carrying the machine guns rolled into place in the street and took out the men who were stationed with the last car in the convoy. There were still at least twenty more men, now scattered as they sought their own cover.

Something didn't sit right with Elena. Even with twenty more men, the fight was going too well. With half the resistance on their side, twenty men weren't much of a threat. Then a low rumbling rippled across the sky. As it drew nearer, Elena looked above the convoy to see a military helicopter glide into position, hovering between the buildings. It quickly targeted the machine guns.

"Get down!" Elena ducked back further into the alley just as a rocket slammed into one of the machine guns, causing it to explode. The truck lay charred and broken, twisted beyond recognition. The driver of the other truck was smart enough to take the opportunity to pull back into an alley. Now they were the ones pinned down.

Rabten appeared from behind Elena. "We need to take out that helicopter or we won't survive, let alone take the convoy."

"I know, but—" Elena stopped mid-sentence when she looked over at Sully. He was climbing the fire escape in his alley, heading for the roof of the building. She realized what he was trying to do. It was crazy, impossible. But there was no way to stop him now. The only thing she could do was help him. She turned back to Rabten and pointed out Sully. "Cover him!"

Some of Lazarevic's men had seen Sully and were concentrating their fire on him. The helicopter, with its limited field of view, thankfully hadn't. Elena leaned out and shot two men. Then she took out several with her next volley. Rabten followed suit and felled one. Sully was close. He just needed a few more seconds. Throwing caution to the wind, Elena stepped fully out of cover. She needed the extra space and maneuverability if she was going to take care of the five men still firing on Sully. Three went down quickly, but the remaining two turned to her. Before they could fire, Rabten killed one, but he was too slow to fell the last. The man fired.

Elena realized the danger and darted to the left instinctively. The bullet grazed her right arm. It was painful, but only a flesh wound. She fired off one last round and hit the man square between the eyes before she finally had to pull back into cover. Thinking nothing of her own wound, she searched the opposite rooftop for Sully. He was in position. They had given him enough time.

Seemingly in slow motion, Sully leapt from the rooftop into the open fuselage of the helicopter. Seconds later, a man fell from the other side onto an armored truck below. The helicopter swerved violently, narrowly missing the building to its left as its pilot finally realized there was an intruder on board. As it spun, Elena glimpsed Sully hanging by his hands alone from one of the straps in the fuselage. Then the helicopter rose, rotating still, until it was lost from her sight.

Elena's world froze with her concern for Sully. After several minutes that felt like several hours, the helicopter returned. Elena couldn't tell what had happened and she feared the worst when it took up its original position over the convoy. Instead of firing on them, however, it spun 180 degrees and took out the last of Lazarevic's men with its machine gun.

A huge smile forced itself onto Elena's face. It was over. Sully had done it.

All around, there were cheers of excitement and triumph. Rabten himself was charging forward, gun held high, leading the way to their hard-won prize.

Elena stepped out of the alley and squinted up at the cockpit of the helicopter to see Sully giving her a wink and a pert salute. She waved back before Sully flew away, presumably to give Rabten a rather large and expensive present when he returned to the compound.

"Crafty old bastard," she found herself saying under her breath. Thoughts turning serious, she added, "Hold on, Nate. We're coming."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Nate blearily opened his eyes. He was in a room he didn't recognize. Nor could he remember how he had ended up there. The only thing he could remember was pain. And the sound of Elena's voice. Somehow her voice had kept him going, though he couldn't explain it. When he was lost in darkness and pain, her voice had been there offering soothing words of encouragement and peace.

Slowly regaining his senses, Nate felt a presence next to him. His head rolled to the other side and he saw something that made him smile.

"Elena."

It took her a moment to register where the sound had come from, but then she looked utterly relieved when she saw that he was awake.

"Nate!"

As she sat up in the chair, Nate noticed the bloody bandage over her arm. He was instantly concerned.

"Are you alright?"

Elena glanced down at the bandage. "What, this? It's nothing, I'm fine. You're the one we've all been worried about. How are you feeling?"

"Oh just peachy." His last word came out strained as he pushed himself into a sitting position and winced at the movement.

"Easy, Nate. You've been unconscious for days."

"Elena, what happened? Where are we?"

She commenced with the long and somewhat unbelievable story of what had occurred since he had been unconscious, concluding with a full account of Sully's heroics.

"You're kidding. He just jumped onto the helicopter and took it over?" Nate asked incredulously. "How does he even know how to fly one of those things?"

"You didn't think I was in the Navy for nothing, did you?"

Sully came striding through the doorway, signature cigar trailing smoke behind him.

"Sully!"

"It's good to see you alive and kicking again, kid. You had us all worried."

"Yeah, you're going to have to take that up with Lazarevic. But I think I want first crack at him. Speaking of which, do we know where he is? Has he found the location of Shambhala?"

"You can't seriously be considering going after him. You were almost killed, Nate."

"I know. But we have to stop him. If he gets his hands on the Cintamani Stone, it's all over. I couldn't live with myself if we didn't at least try."

Elena piled on. "He's right, Sully. Us taking his convoy set him back, but he'll stop at nothing to get his hands on the Stone."

After a few moments of contemplation, a look of resignation settled over Sully's face. "I can't believe I keep letting you two rope me into these things."

"You know you like the excitement."

"Not as much as I used to, kid. But you're right, we need to stop Lazarevic. But we have enough of a head start to afford a few more days of rest. You're still recovering. You can't save the world if you can hardly stand."

"What I can hardly stand is the smell of that cigar. Seriously, I can't believe you put that thing in your mouth." Nate waved his hand meaningfully in front of his nose.

Sully offered a sardonic smile in response, still clutching the cigar between his teeth.

Then Nate became serious. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine in no time."

"Well then, I'll leave you to it." Sully held up his cigar in a mock toast and left.

Elena stood. "I'll go find you some food. You must be starving."

Before she made it to the door, Nate stopped her. "Elena?"

She stopped mid-stride and half turned back to Nate, eyebrows raised in polite question.

Nate's expression grew sincere. "You saved me in more ways than you could know back there. In case I don't say it enough, thank you."

Elena flashed a smirk. "You don't." Then it developed into a heartfelt smile. "But you don't have to. Besides, you saved me first."

With that, she turned and left, leaving Nate with a contented grin warming his face.

 **THE END**

* * *

Thank you all for reading! I went through a ton of different iterations of this story and just wasn't satisfied with it until I sort of stumbled into this one, so I hope you liked it. As always, please review/comment. Any feedback at all is always appreciated :)


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